Jamie Carragher and Lionel Messi have a little beef going on with each other that has now started to affect CBS Sports’ UEFA Champions League coverage. The latest reports revealed that Messi turned down a chance to be a guest on the CBS panel for the fifth match day of the Champions League due to Jamie Carragher. All this begs the question, Why does Lionel Messi hate Jamie Carragher?
The saga started in 2021 when Lionel Messi was in PSG. Jamie Carragher’s bold assessment of PSG laid the foundation for the disagreement. Carragher claimed PSG cannot clinch the UCL trophy with an attacking lineup of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr.
Lionel Messi was the latest addition to the PSG lineup and took it as a direct shot at him. He responded to those comments by messaging Carragher on Instagram. The former Liverpool player didn’t reveal the full message from the Argentine but said that Messi called him a ‘burrow’ which is Donkey in Spanish.
🏴🗣️ Jamie Carragher: “I don’t want the greatest player of all time – Leo Messi – to think I’m a donkey.” pic.twitter.com/iS2Aw8uzee
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) September 20, 2023
A new layer was added into the mix when it was later revealed that Carragher received this message on the eve of Messi’s seventh Ballon D’or triumph. Carragher congratulated Messi on his historic achievement but the Argentine left the message unread. The CBS pundit later claimed that his relationship was on “tenterhooks” but he would love to make amends with the current Inter Miami superstar.
It is now revealed that Carragher’s attempts to make amends with the Argentine weren’t accepted. Kate Abdo, the host of the CBS’ UCL show, revealed that Messi’s camp rejected the invitation to the show by stating: “Lionel Messi will not be doing any television shows that Jamie Carragher is a part of.” The Argentine is yet to forgive Carragher for his comments.
Jamie Carragher still believes Lionel Messi is the GOAT
Even though Messi isn’t fond of Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender has sided with the Argentine in the eternal debate about the Greatest player of all time. The debate was discussed on the latest CBS sports show, with Jamie Carragher on the panel. The defender responded to the question from Kate Abdo who asked whether the Argentine is the greatest ever following his latest Ballon d’Or triumph.
🗣 Jamie Carragher on if the debate between Messi and Cristiano is over: “It was never a debate. Ronaldo was no where near the level of Messi”.pic.twitter.com/FMgv5c7XB1
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) November 30, 2023
Carragher responded by naming Messi as the best player ever by stating that the race was not even close. He stated: “It was never a debate! [Cristiano] Ronaldo was nowhere near the level of [Lionel] Messi. Ronaldo was one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, Messi is the greatest history of all time. It’s not even close. Just because Ronaldo scored goals, Messi scored goals and was an unbelievable player. I don’t even think it’s close.”
At this point, it is unclear whether Carragher genuinely believes Messi is the GOAT or merely stating this to be in the good books of the Argentine. The truth will never be revealed, however, Carragher might tone down his comments in the future to avoid starting beef with another icon of the game.